In the following portion of Boldewyn Oden Odens’ diary, he mentions two details for which some explanation may be helpful. In the third paragraph, Boldewyn mentions the bridge of Austerlitz being the most well-known bridge of the numerous bridges crossing the Seine River near Paris. This bridge was fairly new when Boldewyn observed it in 1813. Construction of the bridge began in 1801 and was completed in 1805. What is interesting about this bridge is that its name is not French, even though it is a French bridge in Paris!
Now called Slavkov u Brna and located in the Czech Republic, in 1805 Austerlitz was part of the Austrian Empire. On December 2 of that year, Napoleon’s army, though outnumbered by the forces of the Third Coalition, won the battle fought near Austerlitz. Called the Battle of the Three Emperors (Napoleon, Alexander I of Russia, Francis II of the Holy Roman Empire), Napoleon’s victory here was considered one of his greatest military accomplishments. It led to an immediate peace treaty with Austria and kept Prussia from joining the alliance against Napoleon for some time. Because of the significance of this victory for Napoleon, the new bridge over the Seine River in Paris was named the Austerlitz bridge!
A second detail piquing curiosity is the identity of the Comte de Segur, the general over Boldewyn and his fellow soldiers mentioned in the sixth paragraph. I cannot be absolutely sure, but the likelihood is that this is Philippe Paul, comte de Ségur (1780-1873). What is interesting about this man is that he wrote a two-volume history of the Napoleonic years, in which his portrayal of Napoleon was much less than flattering. In fact, it eventually led to a duel in which Philippe Paul was wounded.
Enough side notes—here is more of Boldewyn’s account:
Boldewyn’s Diary – Part 2
On July 23, we reached Laon, a beautiful town more than three hundred feet high, situated amidst vineyards. There we had a day of rest on July 24, and on the 25th we rode across high mountains to Soissons (in France), which is a small walled town at the foot of a mountain. On the following day we reached Villers-Cotterets, and on the day after we reached Dammartin. On July 28, we arrived in St. Denis, a small but very nice town two hours from Paris. The cathedral of St. Denis is famous. The stairs leading to the altar are made out of the best marble, a foot of which was to have cost 100 Francs. Beneath the choir area of the Cathedral the Kings of France are buried. Here our Emperor Napoleon also wishes to rest. I visited the tomb cellar.
Since we were so close to Paris already, we rode with a Fiaker (hansom) to the French capital. We went directly to the Palais Royal, which is the center of Paris and around which everything revolves. The Palais is a four-square, large and very expensive building. In the middle of the square, surrounded by buildings, there is a yard with trees and many paths for walking and promenading. Inside the Palais there are places where one can eat, drink, gamble, and dance. If you come equipped with a heavy coin purse, you can buy whatever you can think of. It is estimated that there are 50,000 visitors a day.
There are many different bridges across the river Seine, best known of which is the bridge of Austerlitz. The bridge is built exclusively of iron. Paris is overly large, so that visitors are forced to hire a hansom when they want to sightsee in the city. The horse cabs can be found everywhere on the streets, ready to take you around. The cabbies shout at you all the time offering you a ride. Those hansom cabs only have two wheels but are large enough to accommodate four persons. Supposedly there are about three thousand of those horse cabs in Paris. The city is really worth seeing. After we saw much and also ate and drank well, we returned to our quarters in Saint Denis.
On the following morning of July 29, we rode among a beautiful countryside to Versailles, the residence of the former Kings of France. Versailles is an exceptionally beautiful and large city with long and wide streets and handsome buildings. Just as in Paris, the streets are lined with hansom cabs. The cabbies are yelling constantly “Paris, Paris,” because they want to take the people to Paris. On July 30, we had a day of rest, and on July 31 we rode to Saint Cloud. There we saw the magnificent palace of the French Emperor. Further on we went to see Ramopuillet, which is a small but lovely city among a forested landscape.
On the 1st of August we came to Chartres, a beautiful and large city. We stayed in a hostel and had a merry evening. On the 2nd of August we rode to Bonnevail, a miserable town, the following day we reached Saint-Cloy, a small town, and on the 4th to Vendome, where we had a rest day. Vendome is a large city on the Loire, over which three bridges span. On the 6th of August we rode to Chateau Rainaud. Here we were housed in huge barracks. The following morning, on the 7th of August, we rode through a beautiful area to Tours, the place of our destination.
We arrived in the afternoon and were provisionally quartered at the Burgers. The following morning we were enrolled by our general, the Comte de Segur, and our horses were branded.
Tours is a big and beautiful city. In the middle of this city heads the Napoleon-street, which is very wide and well-paved. The houses are magnificent and similarly built. The Loire flows past the town, which is not deep but wide. Between the city and the Loire are two rows of beautiful trees, between which one sees many people walking in summer. Across the river is a stone bridge that is about 540 paces long. On the 9th of August we were divided into companies and squadrons and were ordered to appear at 4 o’clock with the horses, saddled and packed, in front of the town hall. After waiting for some time, we marched to Marmontiel, a good half hour from the city, where we came to the barracks.
Marmontiel was an old and very famous monastery. Judging by the ruins, it must have been exceptional. It was sold at the time of the French Revolution, and it is said that the buyer gained over a million. There is only one building left in the monastery, and we stayed in this building. The staircase in this building was generally considered a work of art. Of the many churches there is only one left. It was used by us as a horse stable. Under the church is a large wine cellar. The monastery garden is very beautiful and planted with fruit trees and vineyards. We drank milk with the gardener in the morning and the evening, or ate grapes. The area near Tours and Marmontiel is the most beautiful one can imagine. On one side of the monastery is a very high mountain range, which passes by Tours on one side and Amboise on the other.
On one side you can see many beautiful country houses and gardens, on the other side a road, along which the Loire flows. In the Loire we had our horses drink, and in the evening many people bathed in it. Otherwise we were very poorly accommodated in Marmontiel. Our beds were bad, and our table was two old barrels, over which two planks were laid. As a morning meal we got a bit of beans or peas with “frikko” and a half bottle of wine (fricot is a meat dish and generally considered as a good meal). At noon we had a little more soup but the same. Everything was cooked by two women in a large room. Since we had to practice and exercise on a daily basis, we could not survive well. On the 17th of September we still had to maneuver in front of our major. Afterwards we received the order of the day to join the army. On the 18th of September our trumpeter, our doctor and three blacksmiths came to us, and we marched off.
As for the inhabitants of Tours, they are very greedy and we had to pay good money for everything. The peasants of Tours are very poor. They own only a few horses, but a lot of donkeys with which they bring their products to market in the morning. Their wives ride on donkeys. It is not unusual to pass a lady in the rain carrying a rain screen and riding on a donkey. Because of the lack of horses, people here are very eager for horse dung. Everywhere on the streets you can see boys who go to the horse dung, load it into baskets and have them carried to the countryside by a donkey.
© 2019 by James A. Odens